1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for providing contents in a communication system, and in particular, to a system and method for providing multimedia contents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a system that provides IP-based packet communication service, is a system based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which is a text-based application layer control protocol. The SIP is based on a client/server configuration where if clients start calling, a server responds thereto, and enables more than one attendant to generate, update and close a session. The session is performed in teleconferencing, telephony, interview, event notification and Instant Messaging (IM), all of which are based on the Internet. Because the SIP is based on general text-based Internet standards, it is easy to troubleshoot and network debug.
A description will now be made of an alerting method in the SIP-based multimedia telephony environment. The term “alerting” as used herein refers to a ring-back and bell or bell sound. In the SIP-based multimedia telephony environment, a 180-Ringing message is used to provide a ring-back to an origination terminal (or calling terminal). Upon receipt of the 180-Ringing message, the origination terminal reproduces a local ring-back or reproduces ring-back data included in the Ringing message to thereby provide a ring-back to its user.
Further, in the SIP-based multimedia telephony environment, an INVITE message is used to provide a bell to a destination terminal (or called terminal). Upon receipt of the INVITE message, the destination terminal reproduces a previously stored bell or reproduces bell data included in the INVITE message to thereby provide the bell to its user.
A description will now be made of alerting methods provided by the proposed communication systems, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication system, and the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) communication system.
An origination terminal's user, while sending an outgoing call, is provided with only the default ring-back preset in the corresponding communication system or the ring-back preset in the origination terminal or the destination terminal, and a destination terminal's user, while receiving an incoming call, is provided with only the ring (or bell) preset in the destination terminal. The default ring-back, the ring-back preset in the origination terminal and the destination terminal, and the ring preset in the destination terminal are all a simple audio signal.
As described above, the proposed communication systems provide the alerting, i.e. ring-back and bell, regardless of the needs and tastes of the origination terminal's user and the destination terminal's user, because there are limitations on the terminal capabilities and the resources provided for the ring-back and the bell. Along with the development of the communication system, the terminal capabilities also improve. There is a need for an improved alerting method capable of providing alerts according to the needs and tastes of the terminal users, instead of providing the simple audio signal unilaterally provided from the communication system.